Medical Imaging Physics and Systems

BMB 320 delves into the physical foundations and engineering aspects of medical imaging technologies, including x-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound. Students will explore radiation generation and interaction, image formation principles, detector technologies, signal processing, and image reconstruction algorithms specific to each modality. The course emphasizes quantitative analysis of system performance metrics such as spatial resolution, contrast, signal-to-noise ratio, and dose considerations. Practical applications and system architectures are examined, preparing students to contribute to the development and optimization of advanced medical imaging solutions. Ethical considerations and safety standards are also discussed, providing a comprehensive view of the field for aspiring biomedical engineers.

Course outline

Lectures, virtual labs, and graded assignments — completed in your browser.

01Lesson 1: Introduction to Medical Imaging and Fundamental Physics Principleslecture

02Lesson 2: X-ray Generation, Interaction with Matter, and Basic Radiography Systemslecture

03Lesson 3: Digital Radiography and Fluoroscopy: Detectors and Image Processinglecture

04Hands-on Lab: X-ray Imaging System Components and Image Acquisitionlab

05Lesson 5: Computed Tomography (CT) Principles: Data Acquisition and Reconstructionlecture

06Lesson 6: Advanced CT Concepts: System Architecture, Dose, and Artifactslecture

07Lesson 7: Ultrasound Physics: Wave Propagation, Transducers, and Image Formationlecture

08Hands-on Lab: Ultrasound Transducer Characteristics and Image Generationlab

09Lesson 9: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Fundamentals: Nuclear Spin and Signal Generationlecture

10Lesson 10: MRI System Components, Pulse Sequences, and Image Reconstructionlecture

11Hands-on Lab: MRI Sequence Simulation and Image Quality Assessmentlab

12Lesson 12: Image Quality Metrics, Contrast Agents, and System Performance Evaluationlecture

13Lesson 13: Radiation Safety, Bioeffects, and Quality Assurance in Medical Imaginglecture

14Capstone Service Project: Design and Analysis of an Imaging System Componentassignment

Syllabus

["Week 1: Lesson 1: Introduction to Medical Imaging and Fundamental Physics Principles","Week 2: Lesson 2: X-ray Generation, Interaction with Matter, and Basic Radiography Systems","Week 3: Lesson 3: Digital Radiography and Fluoroscopy: Detectors and Image Processing","Week 4: Hands-on Lab: X-ray Imaging System Components and Image Acquisition","Week 5: Lesson 5: Computed Tomography (CT) Principles: Data Acquisition and Reconstruction","Week 6: Lesson 6: Advanced CT Concepts: System Architecture, Dose, and Artifacts","Week 7: Lesson 7: Ultrasound Physics: Wave Propagation, Transducers, and Image Formation","Week 8: Hands-on Lab: Ultrasound Transducer Characteristics and Image Generation","Week 9: Lesson 9: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Fundamentals: Nuclear Spin and Signal Generation","Week 10: Lesson 10: MRI System Components, Pulse Sequences, and Image Reconstruction","Week 11: Hands-on Lab: MRI Sequence Simulation and Image Quality Assessment","Week 12: Lesson 12: Image Quality Metrics, Contrast Agents, and System Performance Evaluation","Week 13: Lesson 13: Radiation Safety, Bioeffects, and Quality Assurance in Medical Imaging","Week 14: Capstone Service Project: Design and Analysis of an Imaging System Component"]